Signs of car battery positive and negative

Working with a car battery is needed more attention and care, both when doing maintenance, inspection, or when replacing a car battery. The first step is to identify the positive and negative on car battery terminals. You may see red and black cables on the battery, but you may confuse about which side is positive? Misidentification on car battery terminals can cause many losses, which we don't want to.

It is important to connect the positive and negative terminals of the battery correctly, as reversing the connections can damage the electrical system of the car. When replacing a car battery, it is also important to use caution and follow proper safety procedures, as batteries can produce explosive gases and can be heavy.

Since car batteries have many types and standards, identification of car battery terminals can make us more confused. But, most people can easily know what color is positive on car battery and vice versa after looking at the battery.

If you are still confused about identifying positive and negative battery terminals or didn't know car battery which side is positive? Here are some signs of simplifying car battery identification on positive and negative battery terminals.

1. Stamped symbol near the battery terminals

The first sign to identify the positive and negative battery terminals is by stamped symbol near the battery terminals. Most car batteries use the + (plus) symbol to identify the positive terminal and - (minus) to identify the negative terminal. This symbol is mostly stamped on the battery upper case near the positive and negative battery terminals.

See example images below to identify car battery positive and negative terminals by stamped symbol near the battery terminals.

2. Color signs on the battery terminals

The second sign to identify the positive and negative battery terminals is by color sign. Most car batteries use red to identify the positive battery terminal. In contrast, the black color is used for the negative terminal. The conclusion is car battery red is positive, and black is negative.

In some battery types, the blue color identifies the negative terminal, but not for the positive. The positive battery terminal all used red color. The color sign is usually marked on the battery cables and terminals cover.

See example images below to identify car battery positive and negative terminals by color signs.

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3. Battery terminals diameter

The next sign to identify the positive and negative battery terminals is by terminals diameter. Most car battery's positive terminal has a larger diameter than the negative terminal, both on standard DIN (ETN) for European cars and standard JIS for Japanese cars.

By visual, both terminals (positive and negative) look the same. Still, the diameter of the positive terminal is larger than the negative terminal. Here is an example size of post battery terminals on DIN and JIS standard batteries..

See example images below to identify car battery positive and negative terminals by terminals diameter.

4. The cables destinations to connected

The last sign to identify the positive and negative battery terminals is by cable destination to connected with. Here are four identifiers you should know to identify the positive anda negative on car battery terminals by its destination to connect with.

If the cable is black with red stripe, it is the negative.
If you can plainly see one side connected to the frame, that’s the negative.
If the wires are long, get out a light and trace them. Look for the one that is connected to the car frame or the engine block. That’s the ground for sure. The negative cable.
If you have seen a complicated connection with large and small wires and small junction boxes, and usually a red color or a white with red stripe, that’s the positive.